Liverpool have appointed Arne Slot as manager following Jurgen Klopp’s exit.
Slot’s appointment comes after he led Feyenoord to last season’s title followed by this season’s KNVB Cup, following a 1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen in the final after having beaten eventual league champions – PSV Eindhoven en-route.
The 45 year-old also took Feyenoord to the runner-up spot in the inaugural Europa Conference League in the 2021-22 season, where they lost to AS Roma in the Final.
Slot has signed a three-year contract and will commence his new job on 1 June 2024 subject to a work permit.
Addressing his decision to move to Liverpool via Feyenoord’s official website, Slot wrote an open letter to Feyenoord fans.
“It’s certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you’ve had so many great moments and worked successfully with so many great people,’ says Arne Slot. ‘But an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is hard to ignore as a sportsman. I am grateful to Feyenoord for their willingness to cooperate with this transfer.
“I really enjoyed my three years at Feyenoord and felt very much at home from day one, both within the club and with the supporters. When I started in Rotterdam in the summer of 2021, I was convinced that it was possible to achieve success at this wonderful club. The fact that we have reached a European final in three years and have won several prizes makes me more than proud.
“I am proud of the players and staff who have worked very hard day in and day out for those achievements. To all the other sections of the club, each of whom has contributed to the success in their own way. And of course also to the supporters, who have experienced Feyenoord’s many beautiful moments so intensely and passionately. As an opponent, it’s already impressive when you step into De Kuip, but when you’re really part of it, you feel it so much more.
“Feyenoord is the club where I was able to celebrate the first great successes in my career as a coach and experienced a lot of great matches, so I cherish those memories very much. And as a football fan, I will certainly continue to follow the club, not in the least because I am convinced that there is still a lot of great things to come in Rotterdam. I wish Feyenoord and everyone who cares about this wonderful club all the best for the future.”
Feyenoord’s General Manager, Dennis te Kloese added that “Liverpool is a special and unique opportunity for him. With that in mind, we started the conversation to see if we could work it out together, and we finally succeeded.”
Reflecting upon Slot’s achievements at Feyenoord, te Kloese continued: “We can look back with pride and gratitude on the years that Arne was our head coach. Under his leadership and with a group of very good people around him, players have developed excellently, the public has been entertained with beautiful football and, certainly not unimportant, his wonderful results have been achieved.’
“Arne has undeniably left his mark on Feyenoord, showing not only football-loving people in the Netherlands but also beyond the borders what we stand for and are capable of as a club. Liverpool will gain an extraordinary professional.”
Slot will discover his first opponent as Liverpool manager on 18 June at 9am BST when the fixture list for 2024-25 Premier League season is released, with the new campaign commencing on the weekend of 16-19 August.
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